NoveLight ™
**
The modern building at the center of the northern island of the academy, its top floor reserved for the VIP suite.
In that VIP room, Nikolai, a middle-aged board member, stood by the glass window, gazing out. The academy's nightscape, reflected in his bleary eyes, was vastly different from what it used to be.
Gone was the once-beautiful view, replaced by heavy machinery and laborers working tirelessly to repair the damage.
To Nikolai, it was a vulgar sight, unbecoming of the academy.
"Damn it."
He scowled as he thought bitterly.
All of this was the fault of the traditionalists, led by the principal. Idiots who clung to the founder’s intentions and ancient traditions, refusing to open the academy’s doors to the modern world.
What use was tradition in a globalized era—no, an era transcending dimensions? Sharing technology with powerful nations, granting admission to a few elite families in exchange for influence—was that so difficult? The benefits and leverage that would come with it were immeasurable!
Other prestigious schools were already doing it…
Ding-dong.
The intercom interrupted Nikolai's train of thought. Turning away from the window, he checked the screen.
"What is it? What’s going on?"
On the screen was the building manager, his expression flustered.
"A guest? I told you I wasn’t receiving anyone!"
Nikolai slammed his hand against the intercom.
The manager faltered, glancing nervously at someone off-screen.
"You little…." Nikolai’s anger flared. Even someone like the manager was ignoring him now?
But just as he was about to erupt, another figure stepped into view on the intercom.
An elderly Asian man with piercing eyes appeared. Recognizing him, Nikolai’s mouth fell open.
"…Minister Kim Kwanhyung?"
Nikolai didn’t dare refuse.
Hastily, he unlocked the door through the intercom and scrambled to tidy up the room. Empty bottles and trash were shoved into bins as quickly as possible.
Creak.
The VIP room door opened, and two Asian men entered. One was the elderly minister, dressed in an elegant suit. The other, a shaven-headed man, was clearly a bodyguard.
"Minister! What brings you to such a humble place? Had I known, I would’ve prepared a better venue for your visit!"
Nikolai greeted them with excessive deference. The minister, smiling warmly, patted his shoulder.
"You’re too modest, my friend. The truly valuable ones are people like you, contributing to the future of humanity."
With formalities exchanged, the two sat across from each other at a luxurious table.
"To what do I owe the honor of your visit?" Nikolai asked cautiously, only for Minister Kim to cut him off.
"Let me get straight to the point, Director Nikolai. How would you feel about working with us?"
"…."
Us?
Nikolai immediately realized that whoever the minister referred to as "us" was no trivial group.
This man was a minister from Korea, the nation leading the charge in pressuring the academy to open its technological secrets.
"What exactly do you need from me?"
"It’s not a difficult task. The principal’s plan is… inconvenient. We’d like you to side with us on this matter."
The principal’s plan? Nikolai wanted to ask what that entailed but held back. Pretending to know more than he did was a survival skill in politics.
"Could you clarify what kind of assistance you’re asking for?"
"We’d like you to grant clearance for some of our people to visit the academy."
"…Is that all?"
Nikolai blinked, puzzled. Granting visitors clearance? Even with the stricter approval process after the terrorist attack, as long as their credentials were solid, it shouldn’t be a problem.
"Is this visitor… a dangerous individual?" Nikolai asked hesitantly.
At his question, the minister smiled.
"Dangerous? Oh no, nothing of the sort. She’s an educator, officially endorsed by the Korean government."
"Then…?"
The minister didn’t answer immediately. He licked his dry lips, drawing out the suspense. As Nikolai exhaled cautiously, the bodyguard’s cold gaze swept over the two of them.
Finally, the minister spoke.
"In fact, she’s already at the academy."
"What? I don’t…."
"Those damn Blue Rats. They delayed us in uncovering the principal’s plan. It was a sudden move on her part, and we had to act quickly."
Quickly? Don’t tell me…
"Are you asking me to make it appear as if an unauthorized intruder was invited by me?" Nikolai’s voice wavered.
"Ah, my friend. Such harsh terms—unauthorized intruder, really?"
"…."
"As a former military man, you should understand. In urgent matters, action often precedes formal reporting. Think of it that way, will you?"
Nikolai couldn’t hide his growing unease. Yet the minister continued nonchalantly, pulling out a small vial filled with a radiant liquid and placing it on the table.
The liquid shimmered like a precious gem, unmistakably a potion.
And there was only one kind of potion that glowed like that.
"…Awakening Potion?"
A legendary potion said to grant mana sensitivity, turning even the most untalented person into a mage, albeit with only a 20% success rate.
Greed flashed in Nikolai’s eyes as he stared at it.
"We’re invested in this matter, you see. Those sisters, you know who I mean."
The sisters. Nikolai immediately thought of them.
Though none of them had made it as the freshman representative, they each ranked in the top three in their respective fields—martial arts, magic, and divine studies.
Especially O’Siri, ranked second in the magic division, a talent coveted even by Professor Gadan, the head of the magic department.
Was the principal’s plan connected to them?
As Nikolai’s mind raced, the minister spoke again, his voice like the devil’s whisper.
"Your son… he was recently rejected by the Moscow Superhuman Academy, wasn’t he?"
"That’s…."
"Such a shame. Moscow can be so cruel, dismissing a brilliant talent like your son just because his mana response was a little delayed."
The minister’s words felt like a snake coiling around Nikolai’s ears.
"If this matter is resolved smoothly, that potion will be yours."
Nikolai couldn’t refuse the offer.
Sixth Floor of the First-Year Girls’ Dormitory
On the sixth floor of the first-year girls' dormitory, where the aspiring mages’ research rooms were clustered, chaos reigned.
-"Add the Tullen formula here, and… damn it! Why?! Why isn’t it working?"
-"Positive and negative charges! Respond to my summoning—gah!"
Students wrestling with magical formulas and others electrocuting themselves while practicing attack spells filled the air with commotion.
-"Hey, you lunatics! Knock it off!"
-"Do you think you’re the only ones using the dorm?!"
-"At least go to the training room like the martial arts students!"
Though the priest aspirants gathered on the fifth-floor shrine shouted in frustration, the mage students resumed their antics moments later.
In the end, the priest aspirants admitted defeat.
They had learned through recent experience that these crazy mages wouldn’t stop until bedtime.
Some fled to quieter floors below, while others treated it as a trial and focused on their prayers despite the noise.
To an outsider, this might seem like the typical atmosphere of a dormitory for superhuman students…
But not to Siri, who sat in the central lobby of the sixth floor.
"What a bunch of clowns."
To Siri, the chaos was a direct consequence of the recent terrorist attack.
Specifically, the problem was the students’ performance during the incident.
Of the students who had stood out in battle, only one was from the magic division.
Compared to the four martial arts specialists who had stepped up, it was a poor showing.
Even among the priest aspirants, only the Saintess had taken an active role. But then, she wasn’t an ordinary priest aspirant.
Even if they hadn’t fought, the priest aspirants had contributed by healing others throughout the battle.
And the magic division? Aside from Midiris, who had stepped forward, the rest had been little more than dead weight.
Excuses abounded—no staff, no memorized spells—but they didn’t change the fact that they had lagged behind their peers.
Now, the magic students were compensating for their inadequacy with this over-the-top display.
Even the magic freshman representative, "The Vessel," had locked themselves in their room, immersed in research…
"Hm?"
Siri’s thoughts were interrupted by the sight of someone ascending the central staircase.
A black-haired student carrying a small warhammer—someone Siri recognized instantly.
"…Seti?"
What was her sister doing on the sixth floor instead of the fifth-floor shrine?
Siri stood and approached her, noting the faint sigh of relief Seti let out upon seeing her.
"…Siri."
For some reason, her sister’s expression was unusually tense.
"Sis? What’s wrong?"
"Do you have your phone?"
"…Huh? My phone? Of course."
What kind of question was that? Phones were hardly a rare commodity.
Siri pulled her phone from her uniform pocket, expecting some mundane request, but Seti’s next words were anything but.
"Call the third and youngest sisters. Tell them to meet us on the roof as soon as possible."
The urgency in Seti’s voice made Siri realize this was no joke.
"…The roof? What’s going on?"
"I’ll explain once we’re up there. Just make the call."
Though confused, Siri contacted their sisters.
As she waited for the call to connect, the ringtone blared in her ear.
-"What’s up, brat? What do you want at this hour?"
"It’s a message from the second sister. She says to come to the roof immediately."
-"The roof? Damn it, I’m naked!"
Debating whether to respond to the joke, Siri glanced at Seti, whose expression remained grave.
"Stop joking and hurry! Oh, is the youngest with you?"
-"Yeah, she’s here. Should she come too?"
"Obviously! Both of you, get up here now! Got it?"
-"Ugh, fine. If this is a prank, you’re dead meat—"
Siri ended the call before her sister could finish, then turned to Seti for an explanation.
But instead of answering, Seti gestured for her to follow and ascended the stairs.
"Seti, what’s going on?" Siri asked as she hurried after her.
"…We’re breaking the binding tonight."
Siri stopped in her tracks, staring at her sister’s face in disbelief.
Seti’s expression was deadly serious—the kind Siri hadn’t seen since the Olympia Superhuman Games.
"How? And why now?"
"I’ll explain everything once we’re all together."
Reluctantly, Siri followed her sister to the roof.
The climb was brief, only two flights up. Soon, they reached the rooftop door—strangely unlocked, as if by some spell.
As Siri pushed it open, the first thing she saw was—
"…Sis? Why is he here?"
Before Seti could respond, a familiar voice spoke.
"It’s been a while, Siri."
Under the faint rooftop lights stood a man with glowing golden eyes.
"Is this an illusion? Why is Yeomyeong here in the girls’ dorm?"
Rubbing her eyes, Siri stared at him in disbelief.
No matter how many times she blinked, Yeomyeong remained where he was, staring back at her and Seti.
"…He’s not fake?"
Turning to Seti, Siri demanded, "Sis, are you insane?"
"…."
"Bringing a guy into the dorm? Do you want both of us expelled?!"
As her voice rose, someone clamped a hand over her mouth. Whipping her head around, Siri found herself staring at another familiar figure.
"…That weird-named roommate."
Midiris, the beautiful blonde who had been the only mage to step up during the terrorist attack, stood behind her.
"Don’t you think it’s a bit rich for you sisters to be saying that?" Yeomyeong quipped, trying to lighten the mood, but Siri wasn’t amused.
Pushing Midiris’s hand away, she demanded, "Can someone explain what the hell is going on?"
But once again, the answer was the same.
"…I’ll explain when everyone’s here. Just wait a little longer."
Despite herself, Siri let out a bitter laugh. Still, she trusted her sister. Seti wouldn’t involve their siblings in anything truly reckless.
Resigned, Siri stood by the rooftop entrance, watching as Midiris, Seti, and Yeomyeong prepared something.
Midiris used her wand, inlaid with a green gem, to draw what looked like a spell circle, likely designed to block sound and light. Seti followed her movements, infusing the circle with mana.
But what stood out the most was Yeomyeong. He pulled a golden object from his coat and stepped into the center of the spell circle, gathering mana around him.
Though Siri didn’t understand what was happening, she knew it was significant.
As the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the stairwell, signaling the arrival of her sisters—
Riiing.
Siri’s phone buzzed.
All eyes on the roof turned toward her. She checked the caller ID, her expression turning pale.
"…Sis," Siri stammered.
"Siri? What’s wrong?" Seti asked.
"That… that bitch. It’s her number."
"What?"
Seti snatched the phone from Siri’s hand, her face freezing as she read the name displayed on the screen.
[Shepherd 10-11-16]